I prefer to use a putty chaser, myself.

What is a putty chaser? TIA

Molly~

It's a speciality tool for removing putty. I found one at a hardware store once upon a time. I've not gotten to my windows yet so I don't know how it works.
I have a habit of buying tools when I see them for things I know I'm going to be doing sooner or later....usually later! LOL

Carol,

What does it look like and how does it work? (Not how well, I realize that you haven't got that far, yet.) Removing putty is the bane of my life, and just when I think I've finally got the knack .......crack!

Molly~

A putty chaser is a bit that mounts in an electric drill and has a handle on the shaft for control. It cuts the putty away pretty quickly.
If I have a lot of putty to remove I put the sash on a bench and use an offset base trim router against a section of wood as a straight guide and route the stuff out.

I think the Easy Off has lye in it. Does anyone know if this causes any problem with paint adhesion after the window is stripped? Neutralize with vinegar?

Brick, do you have much glass breakage with the bit?

I have one more window to finish this season and would love to have a more pleasant putty removal method. Has anyone tried steam?

Didn't get very good reviews over at Amazon...

http://www.amazon.com/Prazi-USA-PR9000-Putty-Chaser/dp/B0000224S8/sr=1-2/qid=1160054846/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-1592934-6650332?ie=UTF8&s=hi

Heat gun, a drywall taping knife (use to keep heat off glass) and a good scraper.

Might also consider this...

http://www.silentpaintremover.netfirms.com/scrapers/accessories.htm#rollerchisel3

We figured on a Sunday afternoon when you live in the middle of no where we would try anything in the house!!

I would be concerned about glass breakage with the drill bit type thing... we didn't have much space to get anything in (hence wanting a 'liquid') and wanted to save the glass.

I set a carbide top bearing bit about 1/32 above the glass.
Sometimes a pane is far enough off it gets hit, but typically none are damaged. You want to stay just above the glass points. The thin bead left pops out easily.
It is not the fastest thing in the world since I move the board for each pane if they are not perfectly stright. Some are, but many have a little variation from muntin to muntin.
Some of the old putty can also contain lead, so a dust mask is needed.

I've had far greater success with the putty chaser than I have with any other method.

I did about 2 dozen windows on my parent's house last year (1903 Queen Anne Victorian).

I didn't break a single pane of glass, and all of the new putty is holding up very nicely.

A powerful cordless drill really makes the process go a lot faster.

What about the putty that is as hard as cement? Those pieces seem to pop out the easiest when they are a little loose, but when they can't be pried they seem as hard as the wood. Molly, I agree about the sick "crack" sound. It always seems to happen on the fourth side. I try to make myself feel better by thinking that there must have been a small chip under the compound that just ran. I also harvest old glass from windows removed for vinyl replacements and am at about 50% breakage in salvaging that glass. I'm closing up shop for this year, but would love to try some of these ideas on the extra sash I have in the barn.

Brick, you are welcome here any time. Just give me about three hours to pop the rest of the sash out. We'll put you up in a great B&B. If you fish, we have some of the best streams for fly fishing.

"I have always used a heat gun and putty knife."

The realy old stuff will not respond to heat at all. The varnish has copletely hardened and it is not going to soften before the glass cracks from expansion.

Somewhere on the web, I heard that a soldering iron works well, although I've never tried it myself; but it makes sense, for the heat could be directed onto the putty with no danger of heating up the glass & breaking it.

My place in San Clemente was built in 1950 and has the original aluminum windows. I really like the windows and plan to keep them to stay with the mid-century look and feel. (They still crank good also with a periodic greasing.)

Cement like it is, and in its rock hard state resists a putty knife and heat gun. The glass is broken, so that is not a concern. I have also tried Mapp gas so hot the putty was red! I have tried soaking with linseed oil, I bought an orbital tool on EBAY thinking this is it. It worked to some degree, however it was very time consuming and I did not want to dig into the aluminum. I did all of this with the window still in place. I removed it yesterday by carefully grinding the rivets down. Phew!

Thanks in advance for any tips! BLP.

I've done several window restorations & I use flexible metal scrapers & my heat gun.

I would be leery of using anything attached to a drill to remove putty from a window. That's just me, tho. Heat gun on low, about 5 or 6 inches from glass. Direct the air at an angle & follow behind with scraper. The heat loosens the putty.

I am going to try one of those Oscillating Multi-Tool saws, with a strip of wood as a depth gauge, should actually cut right in the corners with the right round offset blade.

I've used a heat gun and a putty knife to removed old putty. I saturate a towel and put in on top of the glass to avoid breaking the glass. It's worked because I have not broken a single piece of glass

heat gun, yes. chisel, screwdriver, razor blade, yep. once most of that black tar is off, i used lighter fluid. it gets it all! stubborn adhesives seem to yield to lighter fluid.